Why I'm Studying Japanese

Minna-san!


In this post I'm going over why I'm studying Japanese.

Columbia University requires that students demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English, and so I guess this post answers the question why I choose Japanese to fulfill that requirement.

I have long been fascinated by Japan and her history. In fact, the Japanese culture, through its particular anime shows which were based on a period in Japan's history and a religious text, were a major influence on my in my pre-teenage years. In an environment where morals were relative at best (to say the least), these TV shows introduced me to one of the first sets of values in my character development.

Today, although I no longer watch TV, I still very much admire Japan -- I continue to learn from Japan. I am fascinated by the Meiji Revolution and also by the history of Japan's economy. For example, Japan's decision to invest in its human capital was not only one of the great decisions of world history, but also, how it implemented that decision was so effective -- behold how the people of Japan today possess the technology and skills to become and remain the leading car manufacturer.  
I study the philosophy of Japanese martial arts masters such as Miyamoto Mushashi's and Jigoro Kano's. I was influenced also by spiritual leaders from Japan such as Dogen Zenji and Suzuki Roshi. And oh by the way, my first programming language is Ruby, which was created by Yukihiro Matsumoto who infused it with a lot of philosophy from Japan.

When it comes to developing a second language skill, Japanese is the obvious choice for me.


Sayoonara!


 ライアン 
 (ryan)

*text in color is an addition or a change after the original post was published.